Refrigerator

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a refrigerator. The refrigerator includes a cabinet having a storage compartment, a duct unit formed with a plurality of discharge holes for discharge of cold air to the storage compartment, the duct unit providing a path for movement of the cold air, a guide provided inside the duct unit, the guide being configured to guide the cold air to be discharged to the storage compartment by dividing the cold air, moving to the top of the duct unit, into opposite sides, and a compressor configured to compress a refrigerant so as to supply the cold air to the duct unit. The guide includes a Phase Change Material (PCM) having a melting point at a lower temperature than a temperature inside the storage compartment, the temperature inside the storage compartment being set to initiate driving of the compressor.

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.10-2014-0160576, filed on Nov. 18, 2014, which is hereby incorporated byreference as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a refrigerator and, more particularly,to a refrigerator which is improved in terms of power consumption.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Generally, a refrigerator includes a machine room in the lower region ofa main body. The machine room is generally installed in the lower regionof the refrigerator, in consideration of the center of gravity of therefrigerator, easy of assembly, and vibration attenuation.

A refrigeration cycle device is installed in the machine room of therefrigerator and serves to keep the interior of the refrigerator in afrozen or refrigerated state using the characteristics of a refrigerantwhich absorbs external heat while varying from a low-pressure liquidstate to a gaseous state, thereby realizing the stable storage of freshfood.

The refrigeration cycle device of the refrigerator includes, forexample, a compressor which changes a low-temperature and low-pressuregas phase refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure gasphase refrigerant, a condenser which changes the high-temperature andhigh-pressure gas phase refrigerant, acquired from the compressor, intoa high-temperature and high-pressure liquid phase refrigerant, and anevaporator which absorbs external heat while changing a low-temperatureand high-pressure liquid phase refrigerant, acquired from the condenser,into a gas phase refrigerant.

Recently produced refrigerators are increasing in storage capacity and,correspondingly, tend to consume more power. Studies with the aim ofreducing the power consumption have been conducted.

A conventional refrigerator exhibits temperature distribution having thehighest temperature in the uppermost shelf of a storage compartment.However, the compressor is driven based on the temperature of the upperregion of the storage compartment even through the lower region of thestorage compartment has a lower temperature than the upper region, whichunnecessarily increases power consumption.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a refrigerator thatsubstantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations anddisadvantages of the related art.

One object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator whichis capable of exhibiting reduced power consumption.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide arefrigerator which is capable of achieving even temperature distributionwithin a storage compartment.

Additional advantages, objects, and features will be set forth in partin the description which follows and in part will become apparent tothose having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the followingor may be learned from practice. The objectives and other advantages maybe realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out inthe written description and claims hereof as well as the appendeddrawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with thepurpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, inaccordance with one aspect of the present invention, a refrigeratorincludes a cabinet having a storage compartment, a duct unit formed witha plurality of discharge holes for discharge of cold air to the storagecompartment, the duct unit providing a path for movement of the coldair, a guide provided inside the duct unit, the guide being configuredto guide the cold air to be discharged to the storage compartment bydividing the cold air, moving to the top of the duct unit, into oppositesides, and a compressor configured to compress a refrigerant so as tosupply the cold air to the duct unit, wherein the guide includes a PhaseChange Material (PCM) having a melting point at a lower temperature thana temperature inside the storage compartment, the temperature inside thestorage compartment being set to initiate driving of the compressor.

The guide may undergo heat exchange with the cold air to be dischargedto the storage compartment within the duct unit.

The compressor may supply the cold air having a lower temperature thanthe melting point of the phase change material, and the cold air,supplied to the storage compartment while the compressor is operated,may be increased in temperature by the guide.

The storage compartment may be lowered in temperature by the guide whilethe compressor is not operating.

The duct unit may include a duct cover configured to be exposed to thestorage compartment, a first insulation member attached to the back ofthe duct cover, and a second insulation member installed to the back ofthe first insulation member so as to define a space for passage of thecold air between the first insulation member and the second insulationmember, and the guide may be installed between the first insulationmember and the second insulation member.

The guide may include a tapered portion having an upwardly increasingcross sectional width.

The guide may include a body charged with the phase change material, andthe body may have greater thermal conductivity than the phase changematerial.

The body may be formed of HDPE(5200B).

The body may not be charged in a lower end region thereof with the phasechange material, and a guide member having a prescribed volume may beprovided in the lower end region of the body.

The duct cover may be formed with a protrusion, and the first insulationmember and the guide may be respectively formed with through-holes forpenetration and coupling of the protrusion.

The discharge holes may be formed in the duct cover and the firstinsulation member, and the discharge holes may be arranged at oppositesides of the guide interposed therebetween.

The guide may have a lowermost end located lower than a lowermost one ofthe discharge holes.

The storage compartment may be a refrigerating compartment, and thephase change material may have a melting point near 0° C.

The refrigerator may further include a temperature sensor configured tosense a temperature inside the storage compartment, a fan installed inthe duct unit, and a controller configured to drive the fan when thetemperature inside the storage compartment is increased to a prescribedtemperature or higher.

The discharge holes may be continuously kept in an open state.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, arefrigerator includes a cabinet having a storage compartment, a ductunit formed with a plurality of discharge holes for discharge of coldair to the storage compartment, the duct unit providing a path formovement of the cold air, a guide provided inside the duct unit, theguide being configured to guide the cold air to be discharged to thestorage compartment by dividing the cold air, moving to the top of theduct unit, into opposite sides, and a compressor configured to compressa refrigerant so as to supply the cold air to the duct unit, wherein theguide includes a Phase Change Material (PCM) having a freezing point ata lower temperature than a temperature inside the storage compartment,the temperature inside the storage compartment being set to initiatedriving of the compressor, and wherein the compressor supplies cold airhaving a lower temperature than the freezing point of the phase changematerial.

The phase change material may accumulate cold air by being changed to asolid phase while the compressor is driven.

The phase change material may discharge cold air by being changed to aliquid phase while the compressor is not driven.

A temperature, set to cause the compressor to stop driving, may be lowerthan a temperature set to initiate the driving of the compressor.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description of the present invention areexemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the present invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the present invention and are incorporated in andconstitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of thepresent invention and together with the description serve to explain theprinciple of the present invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating major componentsaccording to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating the coupled state of some major componentsaccording to the embodiment;

FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) are views illustrating a guide according to theembodiment; and

FIG. 6 is a control block diagram according to another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings in order toconcretely realize the objects as set forth above.

The size, shape, or the like of components illustrated in the drawingsmay be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of description. Inaddition, terms specially defined in consideration of the configurationand operation of the present invention may vary according to theintention of a user or an operator, or according to customs. Definitionsrelated to these terms should be based on the content throughout thespecification.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the refrigerator according to the embodimentincludes a cabinet 1 which defines the external appearance of therefrigerator.

The cabinet 1 is provided with a storage compartment 2 in which food maybe stored.

The outer contour of the storage compartment 2 may be defined by aninner case 10 which is provided inside the cabinet 1. The inner case 10may include an upper sidewall 12 and a lower sidewall 14, which form theinner surface of the storage compartment 2. The front side of thestorage compartment 2 is open to allow a user to access the storagecompartment 2 through the open front side of the storage compartment 2.

The cabinet 1 is provided at the front side thereof with a first door20, which is pivotably installed to the cabinet 1 and is configured toopen or close one side of the storage compartment 2, and a second door40 which is pivotably installed to the cabinet 1 and is configured toopen or close the opposite side of the storage compartment 2. At thistime, when the first door 20 and the second door 40 close the front sideof the storage compartment 2, the storage compartment 2 may becompletely sealed.

The second door 20 may be provided with a pillar 100, which rotates soas to come into contact with the first door 20. The pillar 100 maygenerally have a cuboidal shape, and may be coupled to the second door40 so as to be rotatable relative to the second door 40.

The first door 20 may be provided with a door dike 42, which defines therear outer contour of the first door 20. In addition, the second door 40may be provided with a door dike 22, which defines the rear outercontour of the second door 40.

Baskets 44 and 24 may be installed to the respective door dikes 42 and22. The baskets 44 and 24 may be configured to store various shapes offood therein.

The storage compartment 2 may be provided with a first drawer 34, whichis located toward the first door 20, and a second drawer 32, which islocated toward the second door 40. At this time, the first drawer 34 andthe second drawer 32 may be placed in the same horizontal plane. Thatis, the first drawer 34 and the second drawer 32 may be located in leftand right sides at the same height within the storage compartment 2. Thefirst drawer 34 and the second drawer 32 may be pulled out independentlyof each other.

A duct unit 200 is provided at the rear wall of the storage compartment2, i.e. the rear wall of the inner case 10. At this time, the duct unit200 may serve as a passage through which cold air, generated by arefrigeration cycle device that includes a compressor 600 installed in amachine room, is supplied to the storage compartment 2.

A temperature sensor 400 may be installed in the storage compartment 2to measure the temperature inside the storage compartment 2. When thetemperature inside the storage compartment 2, measured by thetemperature sensor 400, rises to a set temperature, which is set eitherarbitrarily or by the user, the compressor 600 is driven to cool thestorage compartment 2 to the set temperature or lower.

The duct unit 200 may generally extend lengthwise in the directionperpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cabinet 1. Cold airsupplied via the duct unit 200 may be supplied into the storagecompartment 2 through a plurality of discharge holes 212 which areprovided at different heights inside the storage compartment 2.

That is, the discharge holes 212 formed at various heights allow thecold air to be discharged at different heights within the storagecompartment 2.

At this time, the storage compartment 2 may be a freezing compartment,but alternatively may be a refrigerating compartment. When the storagecompartment 2 is a refrigerating compartment, cold air, which has ahigher temperature than that in the freezing compartment, is merelysupplied into the storage compartment 2.

The discharge holes 212 may be open, without the installation of aseparate closure member, to provide continuous communication between thestorage compartment 2 and the interior of the duct unit 200.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating major componentsaccording to the embodiment, FIG. 3 is a detailed view of FIG. 2, andFIG. 4 is a view illustrating the coupled state of some major componentsaccording to the embodiment.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, a machine room 5 is formed in the lowerregion of the cabinet 1 such that, for example, the compressor 600 usedto compress a refrigerant is installed in the machine room 5. Arefrigeration cycle device, which includes, for example, a condenser inaddition to the compressor 600, may be installed in the machine room 5.

The duct unit 200 may include a duct cover 210 which is exposed to thestorage compartment 2, a first insulation member 220 attached to theback of the duct cover 210, and a second insulation member 240 installedto the back of the first insulation member 220 so as to define a spacefor the passage of cold air between the first insulation member 220 andthe second insulation member 240.

At this time, the front surface of the duct cover 210 may be exposed tothe outside of the storage compartment 2. The discharge holes 212 areformed in the duct cover 210 such that cold air guided by the duct unit200 may be supplied to the storage compartment 2 through the dischargeholes 212.

Because the discharge holes 212 formed in the duct cover 210 arearranged at different heights, cold air is supplied to different heightregions of the storage compartment 2 while the compressor 600 is driven,which allows the interior of the storage compartment 2 to be evenlycooled to a constant temperature.

The first insulation member 220 and the second insulation member 240 mayhave prescribed thicknesses, which are required to prevent the cold airpassing through the duct unit 200 from forming condensation due to thetemperature difference between the duct unit 200 and the outside of thecabinet 1 or the storage compartment 2 located at the front side of theduct cover 210.

Generally, when the compressor 600 is driven to supply cold air via theduct unit 200, the temperature of the cold air may be lower than thetemperature inside the storage compartment 2. In this case, thetemperature difference between the front side of the duct cover 210(i.e. the interior of the storage compartment 2) and the rear side ofthe duct cover 210 (i.e. the interior of the duct unit 200) increases,thus causing condensation.

Meanwhile, the first insulation member 220 and the second insulationmember 240 may generally have a rectangular column shape in the coupledstate thereof.

The first insulation member 220 is formed with discharge holes 222,which are provided in number and shape equal to the discharge holes 212formed in the duct cover 210 and are located at positions correspondingto the discharge holes 212 formed in the duct cover 210.

Accordingly, cold air, moved to between the first insulation member 220and the second insulation member 240, may pass through the dischargeholes 222 formed in the first insulation member 220, and may thereafterbe supplied to the storage compartment 2 through the discharge holes 212formed in the duct cover 210.

The discharge holes 212 and 222 may be located at opposite sides of aguide 230 interposed therebetween. As such, the air, discharged throughthe discharge holes 212 and 222, may easily undergo heat exchange thanksto the guide 230.

Meanwhile, the guide 230 may be installed between the first insulationmember 220 and the second insulation member 240 and serve to guide thecold air passing through between the first insulation member 220 and thesecond insulation member 240. The guide 230 may be received in the ductunit 200 to guide the cold air so that it is discharged to the storagecompartment 2.

The duct cover 210 may be formed with a discharge port 214, whichprotrudes toward the rear surface of the duct cover 210, and the firstinsulation member 220 and the guide 230 may be formed with respectivethrough-holes 224 and 234, through which the discharge port 214penetrates and is coupled.

Since the discharge port 214 is inserted into and coupled to thethrough-holes 224 and 234, the duct cover 210, the first insulationmember 220, and the guide 230 may be easily positioned at desiredpositions so as to be coupled into a single member.

Referring to FIG. 4, the guide 230 is generally oriented lengthwise inthe height direction of the duct unit 200, but is shaped such that nostructure is provided at the lower end thereof.

The guide 230 may function to guide the cold air, which moves from thebottom to the top of the duct unit 200, so that the cold air is dividedinto opposite directions. As such, the duct unit 200 may evenlydischarge the cold air, introduced from the lower side thereof, throughthe discharge holes 212 that are formed in the duct cover 210 atdifferent heights. At this time, the guide 230 may divide the cold air,moving upward from the lower side of the duct unit 200, so as to move inopposite directions from the center of the duct unit 200.

As exemplarily illustrated in FIG. 4, the cold air, introduced from thelower side of the duct unit 200, may be divided into opposite sides ofthe guide 230, thereby being supplied to the storage compartment 2through the discharge holes 222 distributed at different heights.

FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) are views illustrating the guide according to theembodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5(a), the guide 230 may include a body 231 whichdefines the outer appearance of the entire guide 230, and a Phase ChangeMaterial (PCM) 233 inside the body 231.

Meanwhile, the through-hole 234 is formed in the center of the guide 230to allow the discharge port 214 of the duct cover 210 to be insertedthereinto. At this time, although the through-hole 234 is a hole formedin the front surface and the rear surface of the guide 230, the body 231may be formed so as to be sealed in order to prevent the phase changematerial 233 received therein from leaking to the outside.

The guide 230 may have a tapered portion 232, the cross sectional widthof which gradually increases from the bottom to the top. At this time,the tapered portion 232 is a structure that is provided to sequentiallycause variation in cross sectional area in order to reduce momentum lossdue to the resistance by the guide 230 when the cold air, introducedfrom the lower side of the duct unit 200, moves to the top of the ductunit 200.

The lowermost end of the guide 230 may be located lower than thelowermost one of the discharge holes. This serves to increase theprobability of heat exchange between the guide 230 and the air suppliedthrough the duct unit 200.

At this time, the body 231 may have greater thermal conductivity thanthat of the phase change material 233. The phase change material 233 isa material that changes between a liquid phase and a solid phase on thebasis of a particular temperature, and needs to be charged in the body231.

The body 231 needs to successfully transfer variation in externaltemperature to the phase change material 233. In order to efficientlyuse the phase change material 233, the body 231 may have greater thermalconductivity than that of the phase change material 233, which ensureseasy heat exchange between the outside and the phase change material233.

Specifically, the body 231 may be formed of HDPE(5200B). HDPE(5200B) hashigh stiffness and shows good resistance at low temperatures as well aschemical resistance. HDPE(5200B) is a material provided by HONAMPETROCHEMICAL CORP., and a detailed description thereof will be omittedherein.

Of course, the body 231 needs to be stiff to some extent in order toprevent the phase change material 233 from leaking to the outside due toexternal shocks or variation in volume depending on temperaturevariation applied to the phase change material 233.

The phase change material 233 may have a melting point at a lowertemperature than the temperature inside the storage compartment 2, whichis set to initiate the driving of the compressor 600. The phase changematerial 233 may discharge a great amount of cold air when changed froma solid phase to a liquid phase. While the compressor 600 is not drivenand the temperature inside the storage compartment 2 is increasing, thephase change material 233 may supply accumulated cold air to the storagecompartment 2 so that the temperature inside the storage compartment 2is increased slowly until the temperature of the storage compartment 2reaches the set temperature for the driving of the compressor 600. Inthis way, the driving initiation time of the compressor 600 may bedelayed, which may reduce power consumption.

Meanwhile, assuming that the storage compartment 2 is a refrigeratingcompartment, which is a storage space in which food is stored at lowtemperatures above 0° C., the phase change material 233 may have amelting point near 0° C. The melting point refers to the temperature atwhich the change from a solid phase to a liquid phase occurs. The phasechange material 233 may accumulate a greater amount of energy at themelting point or the freezing point, at which phase change occurs, thanat other temperatures, and may then emit the energy to the outside. Thatis, when the melting point of the phase change material 233 is near 0°C., the phase change material 233 may absorb and discharge a greateramount of cold air near 0° C. than that in a different temperaturevariation range.

FIG. 5(b) illustrates an embodiment that is different from that of FIG.5(a). Therefore, the following description focuses on the differencestherebetween, and a description of configurations that are the same willbe omitted.

In FIG. 5(b), the body 231, into which the phase change material 233 isinserted, forms the upper region of the guide 230. The lower region ofthe guide 230, in which no phase change material 233 is inserted, isformed of a guide member 239 having a prescribed volume.

At this time, the guide member 239 may have the same shape as the lowerregion of the body 231 of FIG. 5(a) However, there is a difference inthat no phase change material is inserted in the guide member 239.

Generally, the storage compartment 2 shows a greater increase intemperature in the upper region than that in the lower region as timepasses in the state in which the compressor 600 is not driven. This isbecause cold air has a strong tendency to stay in the lower region,rather than the upper region. In the present embodiment, the phasechange material 233 is located at a relatively high height so that thetemperature inside the storage compartment 2 is maintained constantwithout deviation between the upper region and the lower region due tothe inclusion of cold air in the phase change material 23 of the guide230.

This is because the phase change material 233 may accumulate cold air,and therefore the cold air may be supplied to the storage compartment 2by the phase change material 233 when the temperature of the upperregion of the storage compartment 2 increases.

Explaining the operating process according to the embodiment of thepresent invention described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, whenthe temperature of the storage compartment 2 is increased in the statein which the compressor 600 is not driven, cold air that has accumulatedin the phase change material 233 may be supplied to the storagecompartment 2 through the discharge holes 212 and 222. While thetemperature of the storage compartment 2 is increasing, the storagecompartment 2 has a relatively high temperature and the phase changematerial 233 has a relatively low temperature, which may cause naturalconvection between the storage compartment 2 and the phase changematerial 233. Accordingly, an increase in the temperature of the storagecompartment 2 is delayed compared to the case where no phase changematerial 233 is provided.

In this way, the frequency of the case where it is necessary to reducethe temperature of the storage compartment 2 by driving the compressor600 may be reduced, or the driving initiation time of the compressor 600may be delayed. That is, the total power consumption of the refrigeratormay be reduced by the cold air accumulated in the phase change material233.

FIG. 6 is a control block diagram according to another embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 6, the temperature sensor 400 may be provided tomeasure the temperature inside the storage compartment 2. At this time,the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 400 may betransmitted to a controller 300.

Meanwhile, the controller 300 may drive a fan 500, which is capable ofcreating airflow within the duct unit 200, or may drive the compressor600 in order to generate cold air.

In the case where the temperature inside the storage compartment 2, asmeasured by the temperature sensor 400, is a first set temperature orlower, the controller 300 may drive both the fan 500 and the compressor600, or may drive only the compressor 600.

At this time, in the case where the temperature inside the storagecompartment 2, as measured by the temperature sensor 400, is a secondset temperature or lower, the controller 300 may drive only the fan 500,without driving the compressor 600.

Through the flow of air generated by the fan 500, the cold airaccumulated in the phase change material 233 of the guide 230 may besupplied to the storage compartment 2 through the discharge holes 212.

The first set temperature may be higher than the second set temperature.That is, when the temperature inside the storage compartment 2 reachesthe second set temperature, which is a relatively low temperature, thecontroller 300 may drive only the fan 500 so as to cool the storagecompartment 2 using the cold air that has accumulated in the phasechange material 233.

At this time, as the guide 230 undergoes heat exchange with the airdischarged from the duct unit 200 to the storage compartment 2, thetemperature inside the storage compartment 2 is lowered by the guide 230while the refrigeration cycle device is not operating.

Of course, even if the controller 300 does not drive the fan 500, sincethe duct unit 200 and the storage compartment 2 are in communicationwith each other through the discharge holes, the phase change material233 maintains a relatively low temperature and undergoes heat exchangewith the surrounding air, thereby causing natural convection with airreceived in the storage compartment 2.

That is, since the fan 500 is driven to artificially cause convection,or since natural convection occurs even if the fan 500 is not driven,cooling of the storage compartment 2 may be implemented by the phasechange material 233.

On the other hand, when the temperature inside the storage compartment 2reaches the first set temperature, which is a relatively hightemperature, the controller 300 may drive only the compressor 600, ormay drive both the compressor 600 and the fan 500, so as to cool thestorage compartment 2.

In this case, as the guide 230 undergoes heat exchange with the cold airdischarged from the duct unit 200 to the storage compartment 2, thetemperature of the cold air supplied to the storage compartment 2 may beincreased by the guide 230 while the refrigeration cycle device isoperated. The temperature of the cold air may be increased as the phasechange material 233 is cooled because the cold air generated while thecompressor 600 is driven has a lower temperature than the temperature ofthe phase change material 233.

When the compressor 600 is driven, the phase change material 233 mayaccumulate cold air.

The cold air supplied while the compressor 600 is driven generally has alower temperature than the desired set temperature of the storagecompartment 2. Thus, condensation may occur at the exterior of the ductunit 200, and more particularly, at the front surface of the duct cover210 because of the considerable temperature difference between theinterior of the duct unit 200 and the exterior of the duct unit 200.

However, in the present embodiment, the temperature of the cold airpassing through the duct unit 200 may be increased via heat exchangewith the phase change material 233, which may prevent condensation atthe duct unit 200.

Meanwhile, the compressor 600 may supply cold air having a lowertemperature than the freezing point of the phase change material 233.

When controlling the temperature of the storage compartment 2, thetemperature that is set to cause the compressor 600, which has stopped,to again be driven, may be lower than the temperature that is set tostop the driving of the compressor 600.

For example, the compressor 600 may be set to be driven when thetemperature of the storage compartment 2 reaches 1° C. At this time, thecold air supplied to the storage compartment 2 by the compressor 600 maybe set to −1° C. Meanwhile, the compressor 600 may be set to stopdriving when the temperature of the storage compartment 2 reaches −0.5°C. The aforementioned temperatures are given by way of example, and itshould be noted that the actual temperatures may be changed in variousways in the present invention.

In the case of the above-described embodiment, the freezing point (orthe melting point) of the phase change material 233 may be −0.75° C.,which is higher than the temperature of the cold air supplied by thecompressor 600. This is because the phase change material 233 mayaccumulate a great amount of cold air at temperatures close to thefreezing point.

Accordingly, while the compressor 600 is driven, the phase changematerial 233 may accumulate cold air by being changed to a solid phase.While the compressor 600 is not driven, the phase change material 233may discharge cold air by being changed to a liquid phase, therebyallowing the temperature inside the storage compartment 2 to bemaintained for a prescribed length of time.

As is apparent from the above description, according to the presentinvention, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of arefrigerator.

In addition, according to the present invention, owing to the eventemperature distribution within a storage compartment, it is possible toprevent a compressor from being unintentionally driven due to arelatively high temperature in some region of the storage compartment.

Although the exemplary embodiments have been illustrated and describedas above, of course, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat the embodiments are provided to assist understanding of the presentinvention and the present invention is not limited to the abovedescribed particular embodiments, and various modifications andvariations can be made in the present invention without departing fromthe spirit or scope of the present invention, and the modifications andvariations should not be understood individually from the viewpoint orscope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A refrigerator comprising: a cabinet defining astorage compartment; a duct unit defining a plurality of discharge holesthat are configured to discharge cold air into the storage compartment,the duct unit defining a path for movement of the cold air; a guideprovided inside the duct unit, the guide being configured to divide coldair that is moving toward the plurality of discharge holes of the ductinto opposite sides of the guide; and a compressor configured tocompress a refrigerant to thereby generate the cold air supplied to theduct unit, wherein the guide includes a Phase Change Material (PCM)having a melting point at a lower temperature than a set temperatureinside the storage compartment, the compressor being configured to bedriven based on the temperature inside the storage compartment reachingthe set temperature.
 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, whereinthe guide is configured to undergo heat exchange with the cold airwithin the duct unit.
 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, whereinthe compressor is configured to supply cold air having a lowertemperature than the melting point of the phase change material, andwherein the guide is configured to increase the temperature of the coldair that is supplied to the storage compartment while the compressor isoperated.
 4. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the storagecompartment is lowered in temperature by the guide while the compressoris not operating.
 5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein theduct unit includes: a duct cover that is exposed to the storagecompartment; a first insulation member attached to a back of the ductcover; and a second insulation member installed to a back of the firstinsulation member to thereby define a space for passage of the cold airbetween the first insulation member and the second insulation member,wherein the guide is installed between the first insulation member andthe second insulation member.
 6. The refrigerator according to claim 5,wherein the guide includes a tapered portion having an upwardlyincreasing cross sectional width.
 7. The refrigerator according to claim5, wherein the guide includes a body that is charged with the phasechange material, and wherein the body has greater thermal conductivitythan the phase change material.
 8. The refrigerator according to claim7, wherein the body is formed of HDPE(5200B).
 9. The refrigeratoraccording to claim 7, wherein the body is not charged in a lower endregion thereof with the phase change material, and a guide member isprovided in the lower end region of the body.
 10. The refrigeratoraccording to claim 5, wherein the duct cover includes a protrusion, andwherein the first insulation member and the guide respectively definethrough-holes for penetration by and coupling with the protrusion. 11.The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the discharge holes arelocated in the duct cover and the first insulation member, and whereinthe discharge holes are arranged at opposite sides of the guide that isinterposed therebetween.
 12. The refrigerator according to claim 11,wherein the guide has a lowermost end that is located lower than alowermost end of the discharge holes.
 13. The refrigerator according toclaim 1, wherein the storage compartment is a refrigerating compartment,and wherein the phase change material has a melting point near 0° C. 14.The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprising: a temperaturesensor configured to sense a temperature inside the storage compartment;a fan installed in the duct unit; and a controller configured to drivethe fan based on the temperature inside the storage compartment beingincreased to a prescribed temperature or higher.
 15. The refrigeratoraccording to claim 14, wherein the discharge holes are maintained in anopen state.
 16. A refrigerator comprising: a cabinet defining a storagecompartment; a duct unit defining a plurality of discharge holes thatare configured to discharge cold air into the storage compartment, theduct unit defining a path for movement of the cold air; a guide providedinside the duct unit, the guide being configured to divide cold air thatis moving toward the plurality of discharge holes of the duct intoopposite sides of the guide; and a compressor configured to compress arefrigerant to thereby generate the cold air supplied to the duct unit,wherein the guide includes a Phase Change Material (PCM) having amelting point at a lower temperature than a set temperature inside thestorage compartment, the compressor being configured to be driven basedon the temperature inside the storage compartment reaching the settemperature, and wherein the compressor is configured to generate coldair having a lower temperature than the freezing point of the phasechange material.
 17. The refrigerator according to claim 16, wherein thephase change material is configured to accumulate cold air by beingchanged to a solid phase while the compressor is driven.
 18. Therefrigerator according to claim 16, wherein the phase change material isconfigured to discharge cold air by being changed to a liquid phasewhile the compressor is not driven.
 19. The refrigerator according toclaim 16, wherein a temperature that causes the compressor to stopdriving is lower than a temperature that initiates driving of thecompressor.
 20. The refrigerator according to claim 16, wherein the ductunit includes: a duct cover that is exposed to the storage compartment;a first insulation member attached to a back of the duct cover; and asecond insulation member installed to a back of the first insulationmember to thereby define a space for passage of the cold air between thefirst insulation member and the second insulation member, wherein theguide is installed between the first insulation member and the secondinsulation member.